5 Absolutely Must-Know Customer Patterns

If success leaves clues, then surely there must be clues hidden in lots of places you’re not yet thinking about. If that's on social media, spot the must-know customer patterns to find success.

When it comes to social selling, you’re probably wondering how you can get started.

Start with a universal truth in sales: we’re all looking to have conversations. Before we have these, we’re looking for any possible “in” we can find. Opportunities to have conversations exist everywhere in sales. Yet, the only ones we’re focused on are cold calling and e-mailing.

Compare this to social: there are many (many, many) ways to start conversations with people on social media. But you have to think of it as a volunteer group you belong to. Don’t push. Only help. Helping builds your currency and stock.

Have you figured out your customer’s patterns? Are you following their digital breadcrumbs for conversation starters? If not, I’d recommend spending as much as time as needed to figure this out. Immerse yourself fully and find out what makes them tick.

Here are some must-know patterns you should be on the look-out for:

What do they read?

Who do they follow on Twitter?

What kinds of conversations are they having on Twitter – about next week’s game or work-related stuff?

Who are they connected to on LinkedIn?

Mostly people from their company or a nice mix of professionals?

What are the top 5 publications in their industry?

Are they more concerned with feeds & speeds (function) or are they driven by ideas (strategy)?

It’s in this discovery and learning that you’ll find an abundance of success. Remember, you’re not here to one-up anyone. All you’re here to do is to see what picture can be painted based on what the buyer is already telling the world.

Most sales people just aren’t spending time in this area.

It’s not completely your fault. We’re trained to be more concerned with the transaction, the quarterly quota, the farce of help and discovery, but not the real thing.

The Bottom Line

Start today by researching your customers online. For those of you already looking up someone’s LinkedIn profile, that’s great…but it’s not enough. Time to do a little extra homework. Your buyer will appreciate that you’ve taken the time to piece information together about them and this will ultimately be better for your bottom line.

Need help in learning how to do this research? I’m happy to show you. Book some time in my calendar below and we’ll talk shop.